Far West Coast Healthy Country Plan - FWCAC · 2016-10-13 · Far West Coast Healthy Country Plan...
Transcript of Far West Coast Healthy Country Plan - FWCAC · 2016-10-13 · Far West Coast Healthy Country Plan...
FWC Healthy Country Plan Draft for Comment
1
Far West Coast
Healthy Country Plan
DRAFT v0.4 Oct 2016
FWC Healthy Country Plan Draft for Comment
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Contents
About this plan ................................................................................. 2
The story of this plan ……………………………………………………………………….3
How the boards and the plans work together…………………………………..4
The area our Healthy Country Plan covers ....................................... 5
Our vision ......................................................................................... 6
How will we work together? ............................................................. 7
Summary of the Far West Coast Healthy Country Plan ...................... 8
Our targets ....................................................................................... 9
Threats to our targets ......................................................................21
Threat ranking .................................................................................24
Objectives and Projects ...................................................................25
Learning as we go ............................................................................27
This Draft Far West Coast Healthy Country Plan is released for comment to the
members of the Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation (FWCAC). Members are
encouraged to provide feedback on the plan before 1st November 2016 so that
the final plan can be endorsed at the FWCAC AGM 2016. Comments can be
provided to:
Saras Kumar, Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources on
[email protected] or 08 8463 4842
Or
Kerrie Harrison, Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation on
[email protected] or 08 8625 3340
Photos on cover from top left in a clockwise direction:
Nullarbor Plain, Yellabinna Regional Reserve, Mount Finke, Googs Lake,
Acraman Creek, Clare Bay, Chinaman’s Hat, Twin Rocks and the Bunda Cliffs.
Far West Coast Healthy Country Plan Draft for Comment
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About this plan
This draft plan was prepared by the Far West Coast (FWC) Working
Group in consultation with FWC Aboriginal people. The working
group is made up of the FWC main members of the Nullarbor
Parks Advisory Committee and Yumbarra Conservation Park Co-
management Board who contribute on behalf of the Far West
Coast Aboriginal Corporation with support from staff of the
Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. The
Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation (FWCAC) brings together
six cultural groups who have native title interests within the
region; Kokatha, Mirning, Wirangu, Yalata group, Oak Valley group
and the Robert’s group.
The central focus of the FWC Healthy Country Plan is to direct and
support implementation of projects, prioritised by the FWC
Working Group, as significant in creating and maintaining our
culture and a healthy environment for our land and our people.
This includes actively supporting engagement of Far West Coast
people in caring for their country, particularly through the co-
management Far West Coast parks and reserves.
We have come together as a single Native Title Group to work
together to care for our country and ensure our culture remains
strong.
Participants in the 1st Nullarbor on-country workshop
Participants in the 1st Yumbarra on-country workshop
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The story of this plan
February 2015 The Nullarbor Parks Advisory Committee (NPAC) and Yumbarra Conservation Park Co-management Board (YCPCB) met with some Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation (FWCAC) Board members to discuss making a Far West Coast Healthy Country Plan to guide how the Far West Coast Aboriginal community could care for country. The group decided that the NPAC and YCPCB would make up the working group and could develop the plan as representatives of the FWCAC.
May 2015
The Working Group had its first meeting to
discuss what the plan would cover and to
plan the first on-country workshop. They also
agreed that the information from this process
would be used for the park management
plans.
August 2015
Two on-country workshops were held; one for Nullarbor at Koonalda Homestead and one for the Greater Yellabinna and Wanna Munda area at Scotdesco. These workshops included other members of the Far West Coast Aboriginal community who talked about what they wanted the future to look like, what was important to them (targets) and what was affecting those important things (threats).
February 2016 Working Group meeting 2 at Scotdesco where the group used the information from the on-country workshops to develop visions and decided which threats needed to be dealt with first.
May 2016 Working Group meeting 3 at Scotdesco where the group brainstormed strategies to manage the threats and improve the targets.
July 2016
Two on-country workshops, one for
Nullarbor and one for the Greater
Yellabinna and Wanna Munda area,
both held at the Iluka mine site.
These workshops involved the
larger group again who developed
projects from the strategies and
developed activities to implement
the strategies.
September 2016
Working Group meeting 4 was when
the group reviewed the draft plan
and gave feedback to improve it.
They also worked on how they could
check that the plan was working.
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How the boards and
the plans work together
Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation is responsible for the
Far West Coast Healthy Country Plan
Nullarbor Parks Advisory Committee is responsible for the
Undiri-Nullarbor Parks Management Plan
Yumbarra Conservation Park
Co-management Board
is responsible for the
Greater Yellabinna and Wanna Munda Parks Management
Alinytjara Wilurara NRM Board is responsible for the
Alinytjara Wilurara Regional NRM Plan
Informs…
Eyre Peninsula NRM Board is responsible for the
Eyre Peninsula Regional NRM Plan
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The area our Healthy Country Plan covers
The Far West Coast Native Title area (outlined in pink on the map below) includes; the Undiri-Nullarbor Parks (Nullarbor Wilderness Protection Area,
Regional Reserve and National Park), the Greater Yellabinna Parks (Yellabinna Wilderness Protection Area and Regional Reserve, Yumbarra Conservation
Park (CP), Boondina CP and Pureba CP) and the Wanna Munda Parks (Wahgunyah CP, Fowlers Bay CP, Chadinga CP, Point Bell CP, Wittelbee CP, Laura Bay
CP and Acraman Creek CP).
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Our Vision
Together we will create a vibrant Far West Coast community
where the unique Aboriginal culture and the arid and fragile
country is strong, shared and respected.
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How we will work together
This plan is about achieving the vision of the Far West Coast People for their country and it needs to be clear on the priorities. Twelve projects will be
carried out, building on the work already in progress:
Work with the management team (2016/17)
Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation (FWCAC) with the Nullarbor Parks Advisory Committee (NPAC) and Yumbarra Co-management Board
(YCPCB) direct and guide the implementation of this plan.
Implement the main projects (2017/18)
There are many projects that could be undertaken but it is important to start with the projects that will form a strong foundation for ongoing
work. Existing work needs to be re-aligned with the priorities identified in the plan.
Regular review of progress (2017/18)
A quarterly process of review will need to be started immediately through the regular FWCAC, NPAC and YCPCB meetings. Natural Resources
Alinytjara Wilurara and Eyre Peninsula staff will get together every 6 months to discuss progress and to record successes and changes needed.
Involve the community in all that is being done (ongoing)
Reporting on what is done and sharing this through media, newsletters and social media will help to ensure that all priorities, expectations and
people are respected.
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Summary of Far West Coast Healthy Country Plan
Vision: what we want the future to look like
TARGETS
Important
things we
want to look
after
Cultural knowledge
Cultural sites
Employment
Community and wellbeing
Coastal landscapes
Wanna ma (coastal food)
Marine animals
Gabi (water)
Guga (bush meat)
Important plants
Animals of significance
Places of significance
Feral predators
Knowledge loss
Onshore and offshore mining
Lack of employment opportunities
Uncontrolled visitation
Camels
Buffel grass
Inappropriate hunting and harvesting
Inappropriate fire regimes
Lack of funding
Dog fence
Strengthen knowledge of country
Fire management
Camel management
Buffel grass eradication
Feral predator management
Minimise the impact of the
dog fence on native animals
Visitor management
Minimise impacts and maximising
benefits from mining
Sufficient funding to implement the plan
Create employment opportunities
Enough healthy guga
Good gabi
Our Vision: Together we will create a vibrant Far West Coast community where the unique
Aboriginal culture and the arid and fragile country is strong, shared and
respected.
THREATS
Problems we
want to stop
or reduce
PROJECTS
What we will
do to keep
people and
country
healthy
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Current Health of our Targets
FAIR
Guga (bush meat) includes: gibra (bush turkey), malu (red kangaroo), wadu (wombat), gulda (sleepy lizard) barna (goanna)
FAIR
Marine animals includes: dolphins, whales, seals, sea lions, penguins, fish, sharks, seabirds
FAIR
Gabi (water) includes: rockholes, salt lakes, caves, soaks, groundwater
FAIR
Wanna ma (coastal food) includes: oysters, razor fish, cockles, galda maru (crabs), mudi (fish), moona ma (limpets), shellfish, seafood, squid
FAIR
FA
IR
Employment includes: jobs as Rangers, Tour Guides etc, Aboriginal enterprises and businesses, training and education
FAIR
Important plants includes: bulgar (sandalwood), water mallee, guduyah, quandong, bush medicine
Very Good – as healthy as it can be
Good – might need a bit of support
Fair – needs a lot of support
Poor – needs urgent attention
Key
The people and the country are connected and everything is linked; when the country is not
healthy, the people cannot be healthy and vice versa. For our planning we talked about all the
things that are important to us and then grouped them together into twelve “targets”. We
know that if we look after these targets that the whole of country and the people will be
healthy.
When we look after all the targets we will be looking after the things that are important to us
and the whole community, including what scientists, visitors and local people value. Taking
care of specific sites such as rockholes means that we are looking after our cultural sites, water
sources and the different plants and animals that rely on the rockholes for survival.
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FAIR
Animals of significance includes: all land animals including dingos, thorny devil, sandhill dunnart, echidna, snakes and birds
FAIR
Community and wellbeing includes: spiritual health, physical health, health of country
FAIR
Cultural knowledge includes: stories, language, knowledge of the right way to do things, cultural safety
GO
OD
Places of Significance includes: Koonalda, Googs Lake, Mt Finke, dog fence, whaling station ruins, Gilgerabbie Hut
PO
OR
Cultural sites includes: rockholes, flint mines, ochre sites, middens, burial sites, artefacts, caves
PO
OR
Coastal Landscapes includes: dunes, the reefs, the creeks, the caves, the bindhara (swamps), soaks and bays
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HC P TARGET
Cultural Knowledge
FAIR
Cultural Knowledge Indicators
Aboriginal elders with traditional knowledge recognised as cultural knowledge experts / teachers
Old people passing knowledge to young people
Cultural knowledge is guiding everything we do
Cultural knowledge is held in the stories, dance and songlines that are
passed from our old people on to our young people. This knowledge is
a map of country that tells us how to move between waterholes and
find food. It is about teaching our children in language so they know
the names of the plants and animals and they can learn the right way
of doing things.
It’s about being able to teach our children but also about sharing some
knowledge with other people through signs and classes.
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HC P TARGET
Cultural Sites
Our cultural sites are all over the Far West Coast area. Most people could
pass by a cultural site and have no idea it is there but other sites, such as,
Koonalda Cave are well known and well-studied. We know where our
sites are located and how to look after them – this knowledge is passed
on to us from our Elders through stories, dance and songlines. We need
to be able to protect these sites and protect visitors from doing culturally
unsafe things and damage to our sites, either unwittingly or deliberately.
Our cultural sites are protected through legislation.
Some of our scared sites can only be known to specific people and need to be kept secret. We encourage people to visit other sites to marvel at the natural beauty and appreciate our ancestor’s art while gaining an understanding of our culture. We are proud of our culture, the oldest living culture in the world and cultural sites provide places for us to continue to practice it and for others to learn and respect us and our culture and country.
PO
OR
Cultural Sites Indicators
Right people managing right sites with right knowledge
Park workers are culturally safe and informed
Public awareness and respect for cultural sites
Cultural site knowledge passed through generations (so not lost)
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HC P TARGET
Employment
Our parents, grandparents and great grandparents were moved off our
land to make way for pastoralism. Some stayed in the area, living on
missions such as Koonibba and others worked for the farmers, shearing
sheep but many moved away, looking for more opportunities and a better
life for their children.
Employment and training opportunities need to enable us to maintain our
cultural values and we need employers to value our cultural knowledge.
There are some jobs on-country with government, in farming and at the
Jacinth-Ambrosia mine but not enough for everyone. We want more of
our children to get higher degrees so they can get better jobs. More Far
West Coast people could be employed in the jobs that do exist. There are
also opportunities that could be turned into jobs and businesses for Far
West Coast people especially in nature-based and cultural tourism as well
as awareness and education in Aboriginal culture.
FAIR
Employment Indicators
Number of Aboriginal people employed and contracted
Number of opportunities available for training and employment
Number of active Aboriginal-owned business
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HC P TARGET
Coastal Landscapes
The Far West Coast is well known for its rugged, remote and beautiful
coastline. We call the coastal area “Wanna Munda”. Lots of people come
to visit the coast to fish, surf, camp, enjoy the spectacular views and
watch wildlife such as whales and sea lions. Wanna Munda includes: the
dunes, the reefs, the creeks, the caves, the bindhara (swamps), soaks and
bays. Coastal soaks provide fresh water and the coastline is dotted with
camps where there are middens, fossil sites, burial grounds and flint
working sites.
These significant cultural sites need protection and need to be
maintained by the right people. Wanna Munda is home to many types of
animals and plants and some, such as the Nullarbor daisy, are only found
along the Far West Coast.
PO
OR
Coastal Landscapes Indicators
Elders/TOs happy sharing culture
Presence of associated plants and animals
Visitors are happy, safe and inspired
People doing the right thing
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HC P TARGET
Guga (bush meat)
Gibra (bush turkey), malu (red kangaroo), wadu (wombat), gulda (sleepy
lizard), goanna and emu are bush meats collectively known as guga. This
target also includes the things that make guga abundant and healthy such
as the plants they feed on like saltbush and bluebush. We still hunt guga
such as gibra, malu, wadu and gulda and we share whatever we catch
with our extended families and within our communities. Food is an
important part of our culture as the hunting, preparation and eating of
such food all allow for us to continue our culture and traditions. It is also
a time to bring families together. The whole process gives us a healthier
way of living.
Today, opportunities for us to hunt and eat guga are limited as many of
us live far away from our traditional hunting grounds and we may not
have access to vehicles or have the time to go hunting. Changes in the
way land is managed, competition from pests or destruction by pests
affects the amount of guga that is available to hunt.
FAIR
Guga Indicators
Number of different types of animals
Numbers of each types of animal
Amount of fat and taste
Area of vegetation with right fire regime
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HC P TARGET
Marine Animals
The remote nature of the coastline means that it is home to many threatened species such as ospreys and white-bellied sea eagles which make their nests along the cliffs where they are safe from predators and people.
Some of these animals, like the southern right whales and humpback whales travel thousands of kilometres to get here. Every year southern right whales migrate from the seas near Antarctica to breed and to give birth and nurse their calves in the relatively protected waters of the Head of Bight and Fowlers Bay. Other animals like dolphins, seals and sea lions live in the area all year round and feed on fish and crustaceans. The whales, seals and sea lions were hunted almost to extinction by early settlers. Long nosed fur seals have recovered and are now abundant but the southern right whales and Australian sea lions are taking longer to recover and have special provisions in place to protect them and help their species recover.
FAIR
Marine Animals Indicators
Population structure
Breeding success
See them where they should be
Species composition
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HC P TARGET
Important Plants
These are the bush foods that are good to eat like; quandong, gulgara (bush banana), bildy bildy (pigface) and warlga (bush tomato) and the bush medicines that treat our illnesses when we’re sick like; emu bush (E. alternifolia) and sandalwood. These plants provide food, water, medicine, tools, weapons and art and craft. Plants are also important because they provide food and habitat for animals, particularly totem animals and guga.
Bush tucker plants are more than just a food source; they are important for cultural reasons and for our health and wellbeing. The process of collecting, preparing and eating food is a way for us to share cultural knowledge. Similarly, bush medicine is used to treat specific ailments and the collection, preparation and administering of the medicine is also a way to get out on-country and share knowledge.
FAIR
Important Plants Indicators
Animals that spread useful plants are there
Easy to find
Animals that are dependent on them are abundant
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HC P TARGET
Wanna Ma (coastal food)
The coast of our country is famous for its seafood. For us this seafood is
our wanna ma and it sustained our ancestors for thousands of years. We
search the rocky reefs and sandy bays for periwinkles, razor fish, galda
maru (crabs), mussels, moona ma (limpets), oysters and abalone. Some
of these we eat and some we use for bait to catch fish.
Our coastline is famous for mulloway, a huge fish that people travel from
far away to try their luck at catching. There are plenty of other types of
mudi (fish) and seafood that we like to catch and eat like; salmon, squid
and flathead. Going fishing and camping is an activity that lots of our
families do together.
FAIR
Wanna Ma Indicators
Presence and amount of wanna ma, in right places at the right time of year
Condition and variety of sizes
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HC P TARGET
Community and Wellbeing
For the Far West Coast people the area is our home, supermarket,
pharmacy, school, church and cemeteries. Country supports our physical
and spiritual health and wellbeing; if the country is not healthy we cannot
be healthy and vice versa. Knowledge on how to take care of country and
our sacred sites is passed on to us from our Elders in the form of songs,
dance and stories and being shown how to do things.
We need to be able to go out on country to take care of cultural business
and to eat our traditional foods and use our traditional medicines. It is
important for us to continue our culture and language. To be able to do
these things in modern society, and to live with pride, we need to work
and to be respected within in our community and the broader
community.
FAIR
Community and Wellbeing Indicators
School involvement
People of all generations out working on country
Community attitude and participation
Hunting and use of traditional foods
Use of language
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HC P TARGET
Recent Heritage Places
There are lots of places that are important because of their Aboriginal
history, recent history or cultural significance. Koonalda Cave is classified
as a National Heritage Site because of the finger flutings which were
recorded as being at least 20,000 years old proving that Aboriginal people
were in Australia for much longer than the previous estimates of 2-3,000
years.
There are also the sites that were recorded by the early explorers and then
the more recent history of the pastoralists such as the Gurneys who
managed Nullarbor Station and built Koonalda Homestead. Other places of
significance include; the whaling station ruins at Fowlers Bay, Gilgerabbie
Hut, Googs track through Yellabinna and Yumbarra and the Dog Fence that
tell of the history of the area and the people that came to a place that was
considered a frontier and in some ways still is.
GO
OD
Recent Heritage Places Indicators
Stories recorded
Signage
Presence of pest plants and animals
Presence of flora and fauna
People doing the right thing
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Threats to our Targets
There are many threats that affect the health of the things that are important to us. By identifying the threats and working out ways to manage the threats we can improve the health of our targets. We identified many threats but we cannot work on all of them so we have decided which are the most important threats and will focus on them.
Knowledge loss
Cultural knowledge is handed down from generation to generation. For this to happen Elders need to take young people out on country to teach them how to hunt, take care of cultural sites, how to find water, where to find bush medicine, how to navigate across the landscape. If there are not enough opportunities for Elders to get out on country to transfer knowledge to the next generation then the knowledge will not be able to be passed on to the right people and country will not be cared for properly. Our children go to school and learn in English but not their own language and there are fewer opportunities for them to learn their own languages. This means that there is a risk of our languages not being used and maintained.
Inappropriate hunting and harvesting
There is some evidence to suggest there is illegal taking of native fauna and flora species, particularly sandalwood, is suspected and this affects the biodiversity of the area as well as impacting culturally important animals and plants. There is also inappropriate hunting of guga and overharvesting of bush tucker by Aboriginal people. This can be due to a loss of traditional knowledge and culture so that people don’t have the right information to hunt at the right times or when to collect different types of bush tucker and medicine.
The use of four wheel drives and guns also mean that it is easier to
cover large areas and hunt and this combined with a lack of
traditional knowledge can lead to types of guga being
overharvested.
Camels
Camels were used to transport loads before roads and rail were available. Some of them escaped and there are now herds of camels that roam across the desert and semi-arid areas of Australia. They have multiple impacts; they compact the earth and damage vegetation through trampling and feeding on it having a severe impact on native vegetation. Although they can survive for long periods without drinking they can damage cultural sites such as rockholes as they seek out water in the arid environment. They also consume water so that it is not available for native species and contaminate the water with their faeces, sometimes even dying in the rockholes and polluting them so they cannot be used until cleaned. Camels can also do damage to remote communities where they will go into towns during drought to find water in houses and water towers.
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Uncontrolled visitation
Visitors are encouraged to come and visit the parks but visitors need to respect the country and the culture. Most visitors will be respectful if they know the places that are appropriate for them to visit and if they are given the right information. Some work has already happened to make visitor experiences better and to make sure that they do not have an adverse impact on the country. There have been lots of tracks and unauthorised campsites created by people driving off the main roads and tracks looking for somewhere to camp for the night. Some of the work already done have closed unnecessary tracks and rehabilitated them as well as improving the tracks people should use by grading them and by putting in signs to direct people. Authorised campsites in some parks have been defined and upgraded by putting in facilities such as park benches which encourage people to use these campsites. Visitors also need information on Aboriginal culture, natural heritage and European history to be able to appreciate the parks and what they are there to protect. There are also areas which are not safe to visit and so visitors need to be kept away from those areas.
Inappropriate fire regimes
Fire was used by Aboriginal people in the Far West Coast area to cook, for clearing areas and safety and warmth. It was also used for hunting to enable new shoots to attract guga to come to feed on them and it was also used for ceremonial purposes and communication. This meant that fire in the landscape was managed around specific sites. Changes in climate and the removal of Aboriginal people from their traditional lands have meant that fire regimes have changed which can have a negative impact on cultural sites, fauna (particularly threatened species such as the sandhill dunnart and totemic species that cannot escape), native vegetation if the fire is too intense and people’s property and lives. Traditional burning and prescribed burning, if carried out correctly can help prevent dangerous bushfires.
Lack of funding
Insufficient and/or inconsistent funding make it difficult to develop long term programmes that will enable the protection of natural and cultural heritage as well as support Traditional Owners to carry out their responsibilities. Without funding it will be difficult to implement the strategies and actions to reduce the impact of the threats to improve the health of the targets. A lack of funding also affects the ability of the Far West Coast people to develop the opportunities that are available into a sustainable means to fund programmes that would provide employment for the Far West Coast people and manage natural and cultural heritage of the area.
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Mining onshore and offshore
Mining and petroleum exploration and extraction is permitted under strict conditions across much of the Far West Coast. The vast Nullarbor and Yellabinna Wilderness Protection Areas do not allow mining and were set up to protect unique ecosystems and cultural sites. Currently, there is a mineral sands mine (Jacinth-Ambrosia mine) owned by Iluka operating within the Yellabinna Regional Reserve that uses ground-water extracted from the Nullarbor Regional Reserve. This mine provides significant employment for local Aboriginal people and adheres to strict environmental requirements. The other key impacts include clearing areas for exploration and operational tracks and the mine area itself. There are stringent requirements for rehabilitation of affected areas with Cultural Heritage Assessments conducted to identify cultural sites and ensure they are protected from the impacts of mining and exploration. Offshore oil and gas exploration poses the threat of oil spills that would impact on the fragile coastline, cultural sites, and marine species (including migratory species) of the Far West Coast needs close attention.
Lack of opportunities (facilities and employment)
Many Far West Coast people want to work on-country in jobs such as park rangers and land management officers. However, there are number of positions available is limited by insufficient opportunities. Mining provides some employment opportunities with a number of Aboriginal people currently employed by Iluka to work at the Jacinth-Ambrosia mine site. There are some opportunities for Far West Coast people to work in the tourism industry which could be utilised.
Buffel grass
Buffel grass is widely recognised as one of the most serious environmental threats to the rangelands of Australia. It is very hardy and capable of destroying Australian ecosystems and threatening many plant and animal species
with extinction. It invades landscapes rapidly competing with native grasses and shrubs. With a much higher burning temperature than native grasses it poses a very real threat to woodlands, community safety and infrastructure. Heavy infestations also prevent traditional hunting, foraging and cultural activities. It has been identified along the railway line and the Eyre Highway in the Far West Coast area and while it is actively managed it remains an ongoing threat.
Feral predators
Cats, foxes and wild dogs prey on small native animals including birds,
small mammals and reptiles. It is highly likely that some species, such
as western quolls, are locally extinct within the Far West Coast area
due to the impact of cats and foxes. Although baiting programmes
temporarily reduce numbers, they continue to have a devastating
impact on local animal and bird populations.
Dog fence The dog fence divides cattle grazing districts in
the north from sheep grazing districts in the
south. It is maintained to protect sheep from
dingoes. The dog fence runs along part of the
eastern boundary and through part of the Far
West Coast Native Title Determination Area.
The fence also prevents the movement of native animals across the
area and there are concerns about some getting caught in the fence.
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Threats to meeting our Target
Threat ranking
Targets/
Threats
Cultural knowledge
Cultural sites
Employment Guga (bush meat)
Gabi (water)
Animals of significance
Wanna munda
Marine animals
Important plants
Places of significance
Wanna ma
Community health and wellbeing
Summary of threat rating
Feral predators H VH VH VH VH
Knowledge loss H H H H H H H H M H H H VH
Mining onshore and offshore
L H M H M L M H L M VH VH
Lack of employment opportunities
VH VH H VH
Uncontrolled visitation M H L M L H L M H H M H
Camels H H H M M H H
Buffel grass M H M H H M H
Inappropriate hunting and harvesting
H L H H
Inappropriate fire regimes H H H H L H
Lack of funding H H H M L M H L M H H
Dog fence
M L
Low
Medium
High
Very High
Key
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Objectives and Projects (what we want to achieve)
Strengthen knowledge of country
We will get more people out on-country so
Elders can share their knowledge and stories.
Objective: Strengthen knowledge of country with
no more language or knowledge lost by 2021
Strategies:
Master’s Apprentice program return to country visits with school / men / women / old / young / middle-aged people
Use Mirning language
Transfer knowledge and stories to young Mirning
Enough healthy guga (bush meat)
We will hunt in the right way, in the right
season, so there is enough healthy guga for all.
Objective: Enough healthy wadu for everyone
to eat in the right season by 2021 (Guga goal)
Strategies:
Seasonal hunting calendar
In-Park hunting management (seasons / guidelines)
Camel management
We will manage camels particularly around rockholes so they don’t damage cultural sites.
Objective: By 2036 rockholes aren't polluted or damaged by camels in the Greater Yellabinna and Wanna Munda parks and that camel numbers are maintained low enough for minimal impacts on important gabi sites in the Nullarbor parks.
Strategies:
Regionally-based camel management program
Maintain widespread camel culling
Feral predator management
We will control cats, foxes and wild dogs around shorebird beach nesting sites and if successful, we’ll expand the programme to other sensitive sites.
Objective: By 2026 hooded plover nests are protected from feral predators so chicks fledge.
Strategy:
Targeted feral predator management program
Visitor management
We will provide visitors with information so they can learn about and respect our culture and country and will use proper tracks and campsites.
Objective: By 2026 visitors are only using designated tracks and campsites
Strategies:
Visitor management plan is developed and implemented
Fire management
We will set up a fire unit so we can use fire to
help keep country healthy.
Objective: Aboriginal people are actively involved in the management of fire within 5 years
Strategies:
Establish a fire team
Buffel grass eradication
We will keep destroying buffel grass until there is none left in our country and then we will keep it out.
Objective: Aim to eradicate buffel grass in any
of our parks by 2036.
Strategies:
Work with partners in regional approach to eradicate buffel grass
Far West Coast Healthy Country Plan Draft for Comment
Page 26
Minimise impacts and maximise benefits from extraction activities
We will make sure that any mining and oil
exploration and extraction has minimal or no
impact on our country and the benefits of it
for Far West Coast people are maximised.
Objectives: Maximise benefits (employment,
education, funding, resourcing, skills) to people
and country and minimise impacts (water,
clearing, damage, disturbance, weeds) of
mining and exploration offshore and onshore.
We are ready to stop any negative impacts on
environment and culture of mining and
exploration.
Strategies:
Minimise impact to coastal environment
Be well-informed for decision-making on mining
Manage water for mining
Manage weeds and pests
Develop relationships with companies involved in mining
Enough money to make the plan work
We will find funds from different sources to
support the projects so we can do all the
things we need to keep Far West Coast
country and people healthy.
Objective: Access available government
(Working on Country, Indigenous Protected
Area, Indigenous Land Corporation, National
Landcare), industry (Iluka, mining, royalty) and
philanthropic funds as needed to support
Healthy Country projects (employment,
research, management) by 2021.
Strategies:
Build fundraising capacity to secure funds from multiple sources by employment and Board development
Creating employment opportunities
We will grab opportunities so that we can
create sustainable businesses and jobs that
allow Far West Coast People to work on and
for country.
Objective: By 2020 we have sufficient facilities
to support FWC people to enjoy and manage
country and allow others to enjoy and respect
country while minimising impact and by 2025
there will be more long-term employment
opportunities available for FWC people.
Strategies:
DEWNR & FWCAC to identify & build facilities
Create land management employment opportunities
Aboriginal-owned parks
We will manage the parks for the benefit of
the whole community so that we have the
support for the parks to become Aboriginal-
owned.
Objective: All the Far West Coast Parks
become Aboriginal-owned parks with co-
management boards by 2025.
Strategies:
The local community is consulted in
the development of the park
management plans and involved in
on-ground works
The Minister for Sustainability,
Environment and Conservation knows
how well we are managing the parks
Minimise the impact of the dog fence on native animals
We will find out how much impact the dog fence has on our native wildlife and find out how we can reduce it.
Objective: Dog fence has minimal impact on native animals
Strategy:
Understand the impacts
Far West Coast Healthy Country Plan Draft for Comment
Page 27
Good gabi (water)
We will visit gabi sites like rockholes and caves
to maintain and protect them.
Gabi (water) is an important resource that
requires protection and maintenance.
Objective: By 2021 important rockholes,
caves, sites and blowholes are maintained in
their natural state (protected / not modified)
Strategy:
FWC people and rangers' rockhole / gabi maintenance
Far West Coast Healthy Country Plan Draft for Comment
Page 28
Learning as we go
(monitoring, reporting and improvement)
We want to know if our strategies are working and to do this we need to check that the
work set out in the plan is happening and that is changing what we wanted it to. We will
monitor a number of indicators (signposts) which will tell us how well our strategies are
working, if threats are being reduced and if the health of our targets is improving.
Following the Signposts…
Start using our Plan 1.
Are we doing the activities we said we would?
2. Are the activities
having the impact we wanted them to?
3. Are the targets
we set to improve improving?
Are we following …
Our Vision
Review
and adapt
Review and
adapt
No
Yes Yes No
Review and
adapt
No